Deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Thursday paid homage to the martyrs of suicide attack, which killed 17 people at district court, adjacent to the headquarters of Islamabad police station, last year. The deposed CJ visited the venue where a suicide bomber had blown up himself, killing people, who were waiting for his address at a lawyers' convention.
Among the wounded were women political activists and police personnel. performing duties at the convention. The attack had occurred minutes before the deposed CJ's scheduled arrival at the venue. An unidentified suicide bomber had blown himself up outside the security cordon where the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) - had set up their camps to welcome the deposed CJ. The bomber's head was found a few feet away from the PPP's camp, which bore the brunt of the attack.
The lawyers had said that they would not be cowed down by such acts of terrorism, vowing not to relent in their movement for independence of judiciary. Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry offered Fateha for the departed souls, and laid flowers at the memorial for the martyrs. The somber atmosphere once again witnessed the people striving for the same cause, restoration of sacked judges as was on the very day last year. Dozens of political workers, lawyers and civil society members were present at the place. Lawyers from Rawalpindi and Islamabad reached Iftikhar Chaudhry's residence to accompany him for the ceremony.
Rawalpindi Bar Council President Sardar Asmatullah Khan, Islamabad Bar Council President Haroon Rasheed, spokesperson for the deposed CJ, Advocate Ather Minallah accompanied the CJ from his residence to offer Fateha for the departed souls. Dr Israr Shah from PPP, who had lost his legs in the blast, also arrived at the venue for paying homage to the martyrs.